


Little Robin

by sam_writes



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Batfamily Drama, Bruce Wayne is doing his best, Dick Grayson is a good dad, Fluff, bruce wayne is an okay dad, fluff than angst with a happy ending, the meaning of robin, what a wild ride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22312843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sam_writes/pseuds/sam_writes
Summary: @manontheflyingtrapeze on tumblr: Headcanon that when Dick fist has Mar’i, he calls her his “little robin” as an endearment term, and the first time jason hears him calling her that, he’s naturally angry and goes all “planning to drag her into our shit life too?!”Dick, caught up in the excitement of being a new dad, calls Mar’i robin and Jason Loses It.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Mar’i Grayson, Dick Grayson/Koriand’r (mentioned)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 279





	Little Robin

Mar’i was flying. So that was new.   
  


“You sure this has never happened before,” Jason panted, “because she seems to be pretty freaking good at it.” 

“Do you think I’d bring my daughter here if I thought she could _fly away_?” Dick huffed as they continued to chase after the toddler, giggling and squealing ahead of them. 

Dick was going to have a heart attack. One minute he was on the couch with Mar’i at his feet with her arms raised to be picked up, and the next she was _airborne_. Sometimes, he wondered how his life got to the point where a flying baby was just something that happened to him. 

Rounding another corner into the kitchen, the boys stopped. Mar’i was still in the air, which was a problem, but she was no longer leading them on a chase. Instead, she reached for the cookie jar Alfred had taken to hiding on top of the fridge. Finding her treasure, Mar’i squealed in delight and leaned down to bite the chocolate chip cookie, only to dip forward into a spin. She giggled as she spun in the air, one clumsy tumble after another. 

Dick wasted no time in climbing onto the countertop, reaching for the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, and swinging toward Mar’i. With a graceful jump he flew forward and wrapped his daughter safely within his arms as he landed them both onto the ground. 

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her downy forehead with a sigh. “Your mom is going to kill me. Oh, who am I kidding, she’ll find this hilarious.”

Jason leaned against the back of a chair, willing his heart rate to slow. “You and your fucking ground repellant family. This is why I never come over.” 

“Is it bad that I’m proud of her? I mean, did you see her form? She’s a natural flying Grayson!” Dick laughed, tossing Mar’i lightly into the air as she giggled, cookie clenched tight in her tiny fist. “My little robin!” 

Jason froze, body rigid. “Put her down, Dick.”

He turned, confused. “Jay, what -?”

Louder, tenser, again, “I said put her down.” 

Carefully, Dick placed his daughter in her highchair, careful now to mind the straps in case she decided to fly again.

Jason stomped his way back toward the living room until Mar’i was no longer in hearing distance. Dick followed his brother wearily. 

“Jay, what’s going on?” 

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jason’s fist collided with his cheek. His head rocked back with the force behind the punch, and he took a step backward to lower himself into proper stance. 

Dick raised his arms up to block Jason’s fists swinging toward him and swiped his leg at his brother’s knees, sending him to the ground. He pressed his knee against Jason’s hips, arms pining his wrists. 

The hold was broken by the slamming of Jason’s head against his own as their positions were flipped. Another punch to the nose jarred Dick as he raised his arms defensively. He jabbed his knee against Jason’s ribs, and took the grunt of surprise to throw his own punches. 

Between the green haze in Jason’s eyes and the trading of punches, Dick didn’t know how long it was until strong arms pulled Jason from him, and another set of hands pulled Dick up from the ground. 

“What the _hell_ is going on here?” The angry grumble of Batman’s tenor slipped into Bruce’s voice. 

Jason lurched, shoulders held between Bruce’s elbows and head between his father’s hands, spat red onto the floor.

“You’re just as bad as him! All of you! Always ready to let your kids die for the fucking mission. Bet you can’t wait to dress her up in the little suit and send her off to fight all those killers on the street, huh Dickie?” 

“Don’t you dare bring my daughter into this.” Dick’s heart was pounding. His voice dark and dangerous. He felt Alfred grip his wrist as he took a step forward. Jason gave him a bloody smile, with bitterness in his eyes. 

“Isn’t that what _you_ wanted to do? She’s a fucking baby. How long were you going to wait? Til she could type case files? Count off rounds?”

Dick shook of Alfred’s grips and lunged at Jason. Before he could punch him in the face like he wanted, Bruce was between them, a hand gripping each boy’s shoulder on a pressure point that had them both cringing. 

“That is enough! Do you both understand me?” Bruce had shouted at them before, many times as they’d grown older, but it still froze them. _Once a robin, always a robin._

“Might I request we all stop shouting? Masters Timothy and Damian are trying to distract the young miss, but I think it would be best not to set her off crying.” Alfred, ever the wisest among them all. 

Bruce dragged them both to the couch, tossing them both down on opposite sides. His fists clenched, but he didn’t cross his arms, keeping himself ready to intervene again. 

“Now do you two want to explain what happened here? I thought all you boys were finally getting along.” 

Jason responded with an angry huff and clenched fists that escaped no one’s eye. 

“Golden boy here is already talking about making Mar’i a mask, and you’re both so fucking brainwashed you don’t even see the problem with that.” 

“What the hell are you talking about!” Dick threw up his arms, anger smoldering with the throbbing of his nose. 

“ _Little robin_? Is that ringing any damn bells for you?” 

Alfred gave a small “oh dear” that echoed in the silent room.

Jason sneered at Dick’s frozen form. “What? Didn’t think I’d hear you praise her tumble and tell her what a good little robin she was gonna be?” 

“It’s what my mom called me,” Dick whispered. 

Jason’s face twisted and then fell blank and second later. When he spoke, his voice was small. “What?”

“My mom. When we practiced the trapeze, she said I flew. The first time I flipped she called my her little robin. It’s the last thing she said to me. ‘ _Ready to fly, my little robin_?’.” 

Jason scrubbed his unbruised right face with the palm of his hand. “You bastard,” he said to Bruce, “you absolute bastard.” 

“Bruce? You never told them?” 

Here he was, the Batman, flustered and as emotionally constipated as Dick remembered. “I… presumed you would have told them yourself. And… and Dick you yourself often called it a… symbol…” 

Dick let out a small, exasperated chuckle. Soon It became full blown laughter. Jason joined in as well, until they were both clutching their stomachs and gasping for breath. Bruce just stood ever so still with flushed skin and averted eyes. 

“Master Dick, if you would please sit still so I may tend to your wounds so you do not frighten away your child?” Dick looked up to see Alfred’s arched eyebrow, and suddenly the laughter left him as he felt once again like a reprimanded ten year old boy.

  
“Sorry, Alfie. At least we didn’t break anything this time?” 

Alfred gave an unamused humm and did not spare any disinfectant on the cut on his cheek. 

“Oww!” 

“Well maybe this will teach you boys not to roughhouse indoors anymore, least of all around children.”

Dick felt shame stir in him. God, what kind of father was he? It was one thing to go out at night while she was safe asleep, and cover up his bruises in the morning, but to bring it so close to her? With her family, where she should be safe?   
  


“Guess that explains why you hated me so much, huh,” Jason asked as he wiped his eyes. Though the words were said jokingly, Dick could hear the tension underlying them. 

“I didn’t hate you, but yeah. You were my replacement, and you had Bruce’s attention and my mom’s nickname. It stung. I was a kid. But so were you.” 

Dick paused as Alfred prodded his bruised nose, wincing. It wasn’t broken, but it was definitely going to be bruised and swollen for a while. Dick cursed, and just hoped he’d left make-up here to cover it up for Mar’i. 

Jason sighed. “I’m sorry.” 

“You know I’d want let her out there, right?” Dick closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and tried to dispel images of his baby girl hurt from his mind. “I’d never want her hurt, or scared, and in this lifestyle there’s no going around that. I’m scared every time that Kory goes on a mission, and it breaks my heart to see her hurt. I’m scared every night I go out, because if I don’t make it back then what happens to Mar’i? 

“But I am absolutely terrified that Mar’i one day is going to have to know about all of this, and that she’ll want to be a hero, and I won’t be able to stop her. Because it’s in her blood, isn’t it.” 

He looked up at Bruce, eyes bright. “I mean, you never wanted me going out, but I kept doing it anyway until you decided to make us a team. But it wasn’t enough. I’ve broken bones and been shot and almost died so many times, and I still keep doing it. So what about her? I can’t protect her!” 

Bruce knelt in front of his eldest son, strong hands on his shoulders. “Dick, look at me.” He lifted teary eyes to meet Bruce’s. “Mar’i is in the kitchen. She is with Damian and Tim. She is not even two years old. Whatever may happen in the future will happen then and not now. For now, just hold your daughter, do the best you can to keep her from this, and whatever happens as she gets older, she will have a family here to protect her.” 

The sound of clapping broke the peaceful moment. 

“Damn, Bruce,” Jason laughed. “I didn’t think you could find emotions. Thought all you did was yell and grunt.”

“Hm.” 

Dick laughed and stood, stretching his back. 

“Well, as fun as this has been, I better go get Mar’i before she starts flying again.”   
  


“She _what_?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to manontheflyibgtrapeze for letting me use this as a prompt! 
> 
> This is my first work for comics, which can be difficult based on the lack of consistency in, well, everything. So please let me know what you think in the comments!!
> 
> Feel free to talk to me at battinsxns on tumblr!


End file.
